A Day Off
by little-starling
Summary: Leo is convinced, and ordered, to take a well deserved day off..............R


Title: A Day Off Author: Little-Starling (aka mcwillow22) Rating: G Summary: Leo is convinced to take a day off A/n: This was never written to post, but I found it on my hard drive tonight and thought what the hell...Hope you enjoy, if you do let me know by reviewing. Thank-you.  
  
" Leo I'm going to bed!"  
  
Jed's voice echoed around the quiet of the oval office, and the chief of staff entered just as he was taking breath to shout again.  
  
" You do know that you have a direct intercom through to my office right?" Leo said as he rubbed his forehead.  
  
" Damn thing doesn't work for me. Anyway I'm going up to the residence, I'll take this report with me and I'll let you know in the morning."  
  
" Ok"  
  
" And tell Josh that he did a good job with Congressman Stewart today, I didn't have a chance to earlier"  
  
" Yeah"  
  
" But right now it's nearly 1am, I'm going up to the residence, grabbing a beer and watching the football highlights. It's what men do."  
  
" Ok"  
  
The President paused as he picked up his briefcase and studied his friend. It was not like him to go two sentences without a 'sir' or 'Mr President' attached to either. Not that he cared in the slightest, it was actually a nice change, but a man like Leo who was military trained as a pilot had protocol drilled deep in his heart and it was an automatic personal requirement for him to address his superior accordingly. For the first time all day he really looked at the man standing in front of him and noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the way he held himself.  
  
" Leo are you ok?" Jed asked with a frown.  
  
Leo's eyes snapped to the Presidents and he forced himself to stand a little straighter.  
  
" Yes sir I'm fine.sorry, I'm just a little preoccupied with a few things still left on my desk..nothing to worry about Mr President."  
  
Jed seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding his head and heading for the glass door of the oval office. Leo stood wearily for a few moments before he turned around and walked slowly towards his own when, again, his named was called.  
  
" Leo!"  
  
He turned around to see the President standing once more in the doorway.  
  
" Blow it off"  
  
" I beg your pardon sir?" Leo said a little confused  
  
" Whatever is on your desk.blow it off, it can wait till the morning."  
  
Leo shook his head slightly.  
  
" It's no problem Mr President, it wont take me long to finish up, and the thing with the 482 really needs to be.."  
  
" Leo blow it off, that's an order. Now grab your jacket and come with me."  
  
Leo's head formed well-worn creases as he looked at his best friend with an expression of complete confusion and slight shock. In the entire time he had been in the white house he had never been issued a direct order from the President.  
  
" Leo, you heard me right. Go grab your jacket."  
  
Leo didn't respond, but about turned and walked down the short hallway into his office, grabbing his briefcase and suit jacket, and flicked the light switch on the way back out. The president was sitting in his chair with his briefcase on his lap when he remerged.  
  
" Mr President I appreciate your concern but." Leo started, a little annoyance slipping into his voice.  
  
"Follow me!" the President exclaimed loudly, standing quickly and walking once more out of the oval office with a slight jump in his step.  
  
Leo stood stunned for perhaps one second before shaking his head slightly and following in his friend's footsteps.  
  
Leo followed his friend to the main doors of the residence and eventually into the sitting room usually reserved for Jed and Abbey. Standing a little awkwardly he watched the President as he threw his briefcase on one of the couches, stripped himself of his suit jacket and tie, and eventually kicking his shoes to one corner. Leo stood where he was, his briefcase still in his hand and his face twisted in comical confusion.  
  
" Mr President was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Leo ventured, hoping that the sooner he got to the point, the sooner he could get back to the office and finish up, the sooner he could then go home and relax.  
  
" Leo take a load off." The President ordered as he fiddled with the TV set.  
  
Leo sighed silently, walked stiffly over to the nearest armchair and lowered himself into it.  
  
" Damn TV. I swear to god I think the Secret Service sit in here during the day when I'm not here and mess up the channels." Jed muttered as he fiddled with the remote.  
  
" I think that's highly unlikely Mr President." Leo muttered sarcastically, watching as his friend eventually got the station he was looking for.  
  
" At last!" Jed exclaimed with good humour to his voice.  
  
"Mr President.." Leo tried again  
  
" Hold that thought Leo, I gotta make a call" Jed exclaimed happily as he made his way to the black telephone sitting on the side table.  
  
Leo groaned softly as Jed dialled the extension to the kitchen.  
  
" Good Evening.morning yeah.yes please, but could you make it for two? And some soda would be good too....thank-you, goodnight." Jed hung up the phone and clapped his hands together loudly causing Leo to jump.  
  
" Ok Leo, I'm all ears," Jed said with a smile as he slouched comfortably in the armchair across from him.  
  
" Mr President I appreciate what you're trying to do here but I really do need to go finish some things off. Some of this stuff cant wait till morning, and I know that there will be another pile waiting for me when I get to my desk in.." He glanced briefly at his watch.  
  
" In four and a half hours sir."  
  
Leo waited for his reaction, and hopefully permission to leave. It wasn't that he didn't want to just sit back and relax with his best friend; it was simply a case of bad timing.  
  
" Are you done?" Jed smiled at his friend  
  
Leo frowned but nodded his head  
  
" Ok, here's what's going to happen. Firstly your gonna stop worrying about the paperwork that's still lying on your desk cause about five minutes ago it was taken from your desk by Toby, and distributed to the senior staff still in the building. The second thing your gonna do is take that suit jacket off and relax. And that one's an order by the way. Then you are gonna drink some soda, eat some beef sandwiches and watch the football highlights, and do you know why?"  
  
Leo sat stunned for a moment, before a tiny smile lit his face and he gave the answer his friend was looking for.  
  
" Cause that's what men do." He said gently  
  
Jed smiled and nodded his head but didn't have a chance to say anything further as there snacks and beverages arrived. As Jed collected their room service, Leo slid his jacket off his shoulders and draped it carefully across the back of the chair he was sitting in. He then loosened his tie, undid his cuffs and rolled his shirtsleeves half-mast, before slowly sinking back into the seat with a somewhat contented sigh.  
  
On his way back to his own seat, Jed handed Leo a cold Pepsi and a plate with a couple of sandwiches on it, neatly stacked and garnished with watercress.  
  
" Thank-you Mr Presi.."  
  
" Leo were finished for the day ok? Were just a couple of guys sitting here, watching the football and eating what my wife tell us not to eat."  
  
Leo simply nodded and turned his attention to the TV screen, picking up a sandwich and taking a healthy bite from it.  
  
Seemingly contented the President turned his attention to the TV as the highlights of the day's game began. There was silence in the room until the first foul.  
  
" What the hell was that supposed to be!" Jed shouted at the TV, shifting himself to the edge of the seat.  
  
" Honestly, you would think after the last season he would be trying to avoid..You've gotta be kidding me!" Leo too was on the edge of his seat now, and both were shaking their heads solemnly.  
  
" Cant I give some kind of presidential order to have him removed from the team?" Jed asked in all seriousness  
  
Leo couldn't hold back the boyish giggle as he spoke  
  
" I'll look into it"  
  
Silence fell on the room once more as they watched the rest of the game, both happy to be in the others company, without the stress of the office and everything that went along with it.  
  
When the commercials eventually started, Leo stretched his legs out in front of him and sank a little lower in the sinfully deep chair.  
  
" It's been a few years since we did this." Leo said absentmindedly, rubbing the beginnings of stubble on his chin.  
  
Jed glanced over at his friend and nodded his head in agreement, but refrained from further commenting on it, opting instead to turn his attention back to the TV.  
  
It was over half an hour later that Jed started speaking again, keeping his eyes on the screen as he spoke.  
  
" I was thinking about taking the kids to Camp David in a few weeks. You know, me and Abbey and the girls, maybe take Charlie along.what do you think?"  
  
Silence  
  
The President twisted his head to see his chief of staff and sat up at what he saw. Leo's head had fell forward and slightly to the side, leaning against the high back of the chair he had sunk into. His arms were lying loose at his sides, and as the President approached he could hear the soft snoring coming from his friend.  
  
" Well, your still the life and soul of the party I see my friend." Jed whispered, a whimsical smile whispering across his face. Walking to the bedroom he returned with a thick blanket and gently draped it over the sound body of his longest friend. Leo stirred slightly and pulled the blanket closer to him, muttering under his breath words Jed couldn't make out.  
  
" Sleep well." He whispered as he flicked the power off on the TV and retired for the night to his bedroom.  
  
Jed was awakened by the phone at the side of his bed ringing incessantly. Reaching a hand out he grouped for the receiver and eventually managed to pick it up.  
  
" Good morning Mr President, its Charlie with your wake-up call. It's 7.00am and you have a staff meeting at 7.30."  
  
" Ok, Charlie, gimme twenty minutes then come on up and get me." Jed muttered sleepily.  
  
" Yes sir."  
  
Jed fumbled the receiver back onto its cradle and groaned. He was not a morning person by any standards and he was the first to admit it took him a while to become fully functional again after any less than five hours of sleep. Groaning with the effort, he flung the covers back and sat up, rubbing a hand over his face and through his hair. Blinking rapidly for a few minutes he eventually stood and walked to the bathroom, turning on the shower and brushing his teeth. He was just about to hop into the shower when a bang coming from the living room shortly followed by a curse floated through the open bathroom door. Jed quickly rinsed his mouth and smiled as he walked through to the living room to find his chief of staff lying in a heap on the floor with the blanket wrapped around his legs. It didn't take long for him to figure out what had happened. Leo had obviously not been comfortable on the chair during the night and with the combination of darkness and the exhaustion he was feeling, it was a good bet he didn't remember where he was and thought the couch he chose to lie on was probably his own. The rest was obvious and Jed worked hard not to laugh as his Chief of staff rubbed the back of his head while muttering under his breath something like 'this isn't supposed to happen once you're sober'. Jed cleared his throat when he was closer and watched as Leo tilted his head up to see who was standing next to him. Squinting his eyes, Jed could see he wasn't fully awake yet and waited for the realisation to hit.  
  
" Jed? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked gruffly, trying to disentangle himself from the blanket as he was talking.  
  
Jed rocked back and forward on the balls of his feet, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to hold back his mirth.  
  
" Just hang on in their Leo, it'll come to you in a minute."  
  
Leo looked around himself for the first time and frowned, a deep frown that caused a hard edge to form on his forehead.  
  
Jed started to talk quietly,  
  
" Campaign.election.oval office.chief of staff.feel free to stop me here any time Leo.."  
  
Leo's eyes shone with recognition and slight embarrassment as he scrambled to stand up, nearly falling over again in his eagerness.  
  
" Mr President" he stated simply, trying to smooth down his pants with the palms of his hands.  
  
" There you go. See? Your mind's still sharp as a needle there Leo" the President smirked, patting Leo reassuringly on the shoulder.  
  
Leo frowned at him and bent to pick up the blanket, folding it neatly as he mumbled grumpily,  
  
" I could have suffered a massive head injury, possibly broken a hip or two you know."  
  
Jed snickered as he walked back towards the bathroom,  
  
" Nah, I don't have that kind of luck" he called over his shoulder  
  
When the President disappeared from sight, Leo sat wearily on the couch that had served as his bed the night before. His mind was beginning to kick in, which was surprising, as he hadn't had his usual 3 cups of coffee, and with the awareness creeping in so did the list of things to do that caused him to groan involuntary. He would need to go back to the hotel for a shower, shave and a change of clothes, that meant he needed to cancel his 8.00am meeting on the hill, he would need to check up on all the work that had been distributed by apparently Toby last night.the list was endless. Sighing deeply, Leo stood and picked up his jacket from the back of the chair and took out the small pad and pen that was always kept in the inside pocket. With that in hand he made his way somewhat stiffly over to the telephone and punched in the extension for his own office where he knew a frantic Margaret would be waiting for him.  
  
" Margaret it's me"  
  
Leo held the earpiece slightly away from his ear.  
  
" Yeah I know.Margaret.Listen.Hey! I've had about 4 hours sleep on an uncomfortable couch so you really wanna lecture me on the rules of coming in late?.ok then..I need you to call Congressman Smyth and cancel the 8.00 o'clock, send him my apologies and tell him something came up.I need to see the staff in my office after the Presidents morning briefing, send a memo. Call Donna and ask her to forward Josh's report on the meeting he had with the secretary's representatives last Thursday, we may need it for the 482 now, and I need at least four cups of coffee sitting on my desk when I come down. Yeah.I'll stop in on my way to the hotel.ok" He hung up.  
  
Leo frowned as he looked through his notepad, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly.  
  
" Looks like you got your day all set out there Leo, just out of curiosity, have you left anything for me to do?" Jed smiled as he walked into the sitting room, still fidgeting with the tie hanging loosely around his collar.  
  
Leo stood and finally let a small smile play around his face.  
  
" You actually wanted to do something today? If I had known."  
  
" Yeah, yeah, yeah old man. You missed your true calling as a comedian." Jed smirked, disappearing from sight again as he entered the walk in wardrobe.  
  
" I'll need to go over to the hotel for a half hour sir, I should be back before the end of your staff meeting." Leo shouted across the room as he slung his jacket on.  
  
" Actually I was thinking that it's Friday, there's nothing really happening that the gang cant handle themselves, and you haven't had a day off in 2 years."  
  
"Mr President we've talked about this.I cant just decide to take random days off, they have to be thoroughly planned and scheduled.." Leo interrupted, taking the tone of a patient parent who has had to repeat himself or herself over and over.  
  
" I'm sorry to have to break this to you my friend but the White House can actually get through a day without you. That's what we hire deputy's for Leo, to fill in when you can't be here."  
  
" But I can be here, there's nothing wrong with me sir."  
  
" I beg to differ there Skippy, have you looked in the mirror lately? Do you have any idea what Abbey would do to me if you suddenly passed out through exhaustion? Or, heaven forbid, a heart attack?" Leo snorted in disbelief, whether it was due to the comments or the whole conversation was debatable.  
  
" It's alright for you to laugh, but I'm gonna be the one on the receiving end of one Dr Abigail Bartlet, and I'll tell you, I've been there before and it's not pleasant."  
  
"You're exaggerating"  
  
" I'm really not"  
  
" You haven't had enough sleep sir"  
  
" Neither have you"  
  
" I can't go home"  
  
" You can"  
  
" I really cant"  
  
" You will"  
  
Leo paused as the conversation shifted.  
  
" Your pulling rank on me again aren't you?" Leo asked dejectedly  
  
The president just lifted an eyebrow and smiled sweetly  
  
" And nothing I do or say's gonna change your mind?"  
  
The same expression  
  
" Your getting quite good at that. You haven't by any chance been looking over the executive power's section again have you?" Leo grunted, driving his hands deep into his trouser pockets, a look of a dejected schoolboy setttling over his features.  
  
" Take a day off Leo. One day. That's all I'm asking."  
  
Jed's tone had lost all it's teasing and his face had turned serious. Leo looked at him for a few moments before nodding his head firmly once and sighing.  
  
" Promise me you'll call if."  
  
" I'll call. Now.get outta here. I don't want to see you till tomorrow."  
  
Leo smiled crookedly.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
And with that he shuffled out the door. 


End file.
